Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing Industries: Energy

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support manufacturing businesses with energy costs.

Graham Stuart: The Government is helping to protect businesses from high energy costs through the six-month Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). HM Treasury is carrying out a review on the current scheme, which will be published in the new year. In addition, the UK’s two Energy Intensive Industries Schemes offer support to eligible UK companies in certain sectors with particularly high energy costs. These schemes have provided £2 billion of relief to over 300 businesses across the UK.

Natural Gas: Storage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to improve gas storage capacity.

Graham Stuart: Energy Security is a priority for this government. Gas storage has been an effective source of system flexibility. The Government works with storage operators, as well as the regulatory community, to explore options around the role storage can play in supporting future gas system resilience. The Government welcomes the decision taken by Centrica to reopen the Rough gas storage site at its own cost and has engaged with the company to understand its plans. Rough, at current capacity, will provide a 50% increase in British gas storage capacity over this winter.

Energy: Meters

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Ofgem regarding enforcing supplier License Conditions when it comes to supporting vulnerable smart meter customers.

Graham Stuart: There are clear regulatory obligations on energy suppliers regarding the treatment of vulnerable customers, or those in payment difficulty. The Government works closely with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure vulnerable customers are protected and supports the steps Ofgem is taking to ensure energy supplier compliance with their obligations, including in response to its Market Compliance Review into customers struggling to with bills. The energy regulator Ofgem is responsible for ensuring energy suppliers comply with their regulatory obligations.

Energy: Meters

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2022 to Question 93695, on Energy: Meters, if he will require Ofgem to collect and publish data on (a) numbers of customers whose energy suppliers have switched their smart meters from credit mode to prepayment in the past year and (b) numbers of customers who have been left without energy supply as a result of an energy supplier's decision to switch smart meters from credit mode to prepayment in the past year.

Graham Stuart: The independent regulator Ofgem collects and publishes a range of data on prepayment meters. It has also provided data on the number of customers whose energy suppliers have switched their smart meters from credit mode to prepayment in the past year. I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Newport East on 9th November 2022 to Question 75843. Ofgem is responsible for ensuring suppliers comply with their regulatory obligations, which include particular protections for vulnerable consumers, or those in payment difficulty. The Government supports the steps Ofgem is taking to ensure compliance, including in response to its Market Compliance Review into customers struggling with bills.

Energy: Prices

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) assessment he has made and (b) consultation he has undertaken on the potential merits of introducing an energy social tariff.

Graham Stuart: The Government is considering new ways to protect consumers in the energy market as stated in the Autumn Statement. These changes will apply from April 2024. As part of the wider retail market reforms the Government will engage with consumer groups and industry stakeholders One option that will be considered will be a social tariff.

Energy: Prices

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking further steps to support consumers in response to increases to the energy price cap.

Graham Stuart: Through the Energy Price Guarantee, the Government has ensured that consumers are not exposed to the significant increases in the price cap announced by Ofgem recently. The EPG reduces the amount a household can be charged per unit of gas or electricity. Until the end of March 2023, a typical household in Great Britain will spend around £2,500 on their energy bills. During this period households will see no significant changes to their tariffs.

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of immediately making Energy Support Payments for electric bills in Northern Ireland while developing a cashback option in parallel.

Graham Stuart: On 19 December, the Government announced that all households in Northern Ireland will receive support with their energy bills this winter through a single payment of £600 comprising both the Energy Bills Support Scheme and the Alternative Fuel Payment. Payments will start reaching households in January through suppliers.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses beyond 31 March 2023.

Graham Stuart: HM Treasury is currently conducting a review of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. Evidence from a broad range of stakeholders has already been received. The Government will announce the outcome of this review in the New Year.

Environment Protection: Job Creation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to increase the number of green jobs in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency.

Graham Stuart: The Government is providing significant investment for the offshore renewable and electric vehicle industries across North East England to create high value, highly skilled green jobs for people across the region. Funding from its Offshore Wine Manufacturing Investment Support Scheme is supporting construction of the new £130m JDR cables factory near Blyth in Northumberland, which will develop and build components for next generation wind turbines, creating 170 jobs. Its £20.9 million Town Deal for Blyth will also establish business-led skills development facilities for the offshore wind sector, providing local people with the skills they need to benefit from those job opportunities. The Government's Getting Building Fund is supporting construction of Equinor's new Operations and Maintenance base at the Port of Tyne, which will serve the world’s biggest offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank. This is expected to generate over 200 direct jobs in the region and provide opportunities for companies at all levels of the supply chain. Construction has also started on EV 36 Zero – a new £1 billion Electric Vehicle Hub near to Nissan’s Sunderland plant which will create around 1,000 jobs and help accelerate the UK’s journey to carbon neutrality.

Methane: Pollution Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made for the projected methane emissions reductions as a result of UK's Methane Memorandum; and whether these are consistent with our commitments made in the Global Methane Pledge.

Graham Stuart: The UK’s Methane Memorandum highlights the Government’s commitment to explore and implement measures to secure future progress in reducing methane emissions, including in energy, waste and agriculture sectors. The plans are part of, and consistent with, the UK’s Net Zero Strategy. The Government’s current projections estimate that UK methane emissions will be reduced by 64% on 1990 levels in 2030. The approach set out in the Memorandum is consistent with the Government's commitment under the Global Methane Pledge to take voluntary actions to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, as a global reduction target.

Regional Planning and Development: Devolution

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2022 to Question 84783 Carbon Emissions: Regulation, when his Department began to develop the Strategy and Policy statement.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2022 to Question 84783 on Carbon Emissions: Regulation, when his Department first announced its intention to publish the Strategy and Policy statement.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Act 2013 provided powers for the Secretary of State to designate a Strategy and Policy Statement (SPS) for energy policy. A draft SPS was consulted on in 2014 and the Department subsequently committed to redrafting the SPS based on the consultation responses. However, this work was paused following the change of government in 2015. This Government set out its intention to designate an SPS for energy policy in the Energy White Paper in December 2020. The Department has continued developing the SPS and Welsh and Scottish Ministers have had the opportunity to consider a draft. A public consultation is planned for the Spring.

Energy Bills Rebate: District Heating

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what methods his Department has assessed for the delivery of the Energy Bills Support Scheme to domestic households on communal heating systems.

Graham Stuart: If a household on a communal heating system has a domestic electricity meter, they should already be in receipt of the Energy Bills Support Scheme. If a customer does not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an electricity supplier, they may be eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding. Further details have been recently announced on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vital-help-with-energy-bills-on-the-way-for-millions-more-homes-across-great-britain-and-northern-ireland.